{{Hitched}} Julianne & Phil @ Hallbrook Country Club in Leawood, KS

08.07.18

This Kansas City / Leawood wedding is definitely a one that brings romance, fresh colors, pineapples, beautiful florals, GORGEOUS people, and most importantly–TRUE LOVE–to the forefront.

So about the bride and groom….Even though I have known Julianne for several years because I’m pals with her awesome wedding-planning sister, Jennifer Pestinger of Belle & Bows. The entire Huber family is near and dear to my photographer heart. SUCH sweet, genuine people. And so freaking nice to my lens. 😉 And to give you an idea of how awesome Joan Reichmeier Huber & Dennis Huber are… they painted their front door to match the wedding palette…because back when Jennifer, their eldest daughter got married (I photographed that one too!), their door was a periwinkle color, as were the bridesmaid dresses. They just HAD to be fair! 😉 However, admittedly, I do not know her well. I knew she was sweet. And beautiful (because it’s just in her genes….). And incredibly patient and kind.

She lives in St. Louis, where she is a preschool special ed teacher, going for her Master’s in Behavioral Analysis. It was in the Gateway City that she met the man who showed her the Gateway to Ever After– at a karaoke bar. Phil had chummed himself into Julianne’s friend group via a mutual guy friend of theirs. A month later, the entire posse decided to do a road trip to Louisville, KY, and something clicked for them both. Julianne says she knew Phil was “the one” when she found herself hanging out with him for NINE!!! consecutive nights following their first date…and “I wasn’t even sick of him!”

And since then, he’s proven to be the most kind, caring and genuine guy to ever enter her life. I have to also mention his sense of humor here. He is definitely in my TOP 5 FUNNY GROOMS! His personality was so easy-going, so playful and so much fun. He’s also a romantic. I mean…this is what he had to say about how he knew SHE was the one he’d be with forever: “I knew Jules was the one during our first date when we took a picture at the Anheuser Busch Tour in St. Louis. She is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, inside and out, and I felt the happiest I’ve ever been in that moment standing next to her in that picture and knew I wanted to have her by my side the rest of my life.”

{And to take more pics that encapsulate those happy moments, right, Phil???? Well…pssssst: I got ya covered!} So how perfect that these two ended up back in L-ville, at yet another facility known for its adult beverages (the Four Roses bottling plant, which is credited for creating Phil’s favorite bourbon!), when they made their future official. Phil had set up a private tour, and halfway through, they got out of the car for (another!!) photo op near a lake.

Phil handed the camera to the tour guide, Julianne believing that it was to take their photo. Instead, the moment when he put a ring on Julianne’s “it,” is now documented! I could tell right away that Julianne and Philip balance one another out. It’s been a stressful year for these two with job changes, homeowner probs, grad school assignments and of course: wedding planning. But Julianne says, “Phil is able to keep me grounded and sane….No matter how stressed out I am or how tough my day has been, he knows exactly how to make me laugh.” See? He’s funny. Phil echoes Julianne’s sentiments in expressing just how crazy he is about her. “Julianne is the most beautiful, caring, and patient person I’ve ever met. I love that we have similar values in life, that we fit each other so well, and that she can have a conversation with anyone. I am most in love with her smile because it brightens my day and makes me happy that she is happy.”

You will totally know what he means once you see her smile for yourself. Again, it’s in her genes–her whole family could be models for the dentistry industry.

When they aren’t trying to hit homeruns out of life’s lil’ curveballs, they can be found working out together at Title Boxing Club, going on tasteful adventures to new restaurants, cooking/prepping meals, hanging out with their pals, and exploring the city they love. Also, special shout out to Thomas Martin for his rendition of TENNESSEE WHISKEY. I am not exaggerating. My 2nd shooter, Jennifer Zugelder, and I were transfixed…we had giddy smiles on our faces and incessant goosebumps. It might have been one of my favorite wedding moments in the decade I’ve been doing this. His voice. His passion for his art. you could feel it from your tingly spine down to your swaying feet. I want his CD — if he should ever record.

So was that enough blabbing? Well then. Let’s get on with their fresh, fun and romantically pineapple-y late spring wedding. Here is a rundown of some of the key players that made this day top-notch! As always: feel free to use any of these pics for your profile or cover image, but if there isn’t a watermark visible, you must credit Darbi G. Photography in the caption. And you may not alter the photo processing in anyway, so please do not add any filters, regardless of where you’re sharing the image. This changes the artistic integrity and is a misrepresentation of my work. Thank you so much!